# The Magazines have disappeared from the Newsstand **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 19, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153 "2014-06-19T16:57:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/1 "2014-06-19T16:57:29Z")
Yesterday I went into the nearby Newsstand at the Mall. I looked to see what magazines were left. The last time I looked, there was a single solitary rack. Now, even that one rack is gone. I asked the nice Indian woman running the stand, and she confirmed it – no magazines at all. It wasn’t worth the trouble and expense of stocking it – nobody bought any of them. I know that we’re in the Decline of magazines, with the rise of the internet and the decline of reading in general, but this amazed me. no Sports Illustrated. No porno, even. The only concession that justified the named “Newsstand” was that a wire rack at the front of the store sold a couple of newspapers. This particular newsstand is descended from one in the next mall over, which was huge by comparison. It sold cards and gifts, and had one entire long wall with rack upon rack of magazines of all kinds. IOt moved over into the newly refurbished indoor mall next door, into a greatly reduced space, but it still had multiple racks of magazines of all kinds, catering to various interests. Sports, News, Women’s magazines, men’s magazines. Model builders. Writers. Playboy and P{enthouse and smaller porn. Now, it’s all gone. They sell candy and snacks and beverages, smoking paraphernalia, cigars, and the odd gift. Lottery tickets might be their single biggest mainstay. But, aside from a few newspapers, nothing to read. You can still buy magazines at the supermarket, the drug store (although I notice that their magazine rack right now is full of inflatable rafts – a temporary summer thing, I hope), and our one remaining Barnes and Noble, which has a selection like the Newsstand used to. If B&N goes down the tubes, we’re gonna be stuck with the meager offeriungs at Target and Stop and Shop. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/2 "2014-06-19T17:43:56Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I know that we’re in the Decline of magazines, with the rise of the internet and the decline of reading in general, but this amazed me. “Reading” is considerably up among all ages. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/3 "2014-06-19T17:51:36Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You can still buy magazines at the supermarket, the drug store (although I notice that their magazine rack right now is full of inflatable rafts – a temporary summer thing, I hope) Isn’t [sex](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=726052) a year-round thing? Sorry, I couldn’t resist ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/4 "2014-06-19T17:53:33Z")
I know what the OP’s talking about. I’ve seen a few “newsstands” that don’t sell magazines. And I agree - if you’re not selling magazines, you should stop calling your business a newsstand. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/5 "2014-06-19T18:11:38Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > “Reading” is considerably up among all ages. Cite? Pepper Mill, who’s teaching these days, doesn’t think so. She paints a dismal picture. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/6 "2014-06-19T18:39:11Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Cite? > > Pepper Mill, who’s teaching these days, doesn’t think so. She paints a dismal picture. Sorry, it’s close to impossible to quantify the percentage of people who “read” and if it’s going up or down because every study covers a different type of reading (novels versus books versus magazines versus fiction versus the newspaper versus etc.) and almost all of them ignore reading that is done online, including this message board. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/7 "2014-06-19T20:13:02Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Sorry, it’s close to impossible to quantify the percentage of people who “read” and if it’s going up or down because every study covers a different type of reading (novels versus books versus magazines versus fiction versus the newspaper versus etc.) and almost all of them ignore reading that is done online, including this message board. The it’s odd for you to make this categorical pronouncement: > [@](#): > > “Reading” is considerably up among all ages. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/8 "2014-06-19T21:12:31Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > The it’s odd for you to make this categorical pronouncement: Because it’s true. I just can’t prove it with a convenient cite. But this is one time where the conventional wisdom is true. The Internet is mostly text-based and the vast majority of people spend a lot of time online every day. So they’re reading quite a bit. But there are studies. I’ll try and scare up a few, but let’s start with this one for now: > **[Younger Americans’ Reading and Library habits](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2012/10/23/younger-americans-reading-and-library-habits/)** > > More than 8 in 10 Americans ages 16-29 read a book in the past year, and 6 in 10 used their local public library. Many say they are reading more in the era of digital content. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/9 "2014-06-19T21:14:22Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Because it’s true. I just can’t prove it with a convenient cite. These cites would suggest that it’s not true, despite their attempts to save it at the end: > **[The Decline of the American Book Lover](https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/283222/)** > > And why the downturn might be over. > **[US Book Reading Rates — How Many Americans Read In 2013](https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2014/01/61190/fewer-americans-reading-books)** > > Fewer Americans are reading than ever before, but how many actually cracked open a book in 2013. And, what's that mean for literacy in the United States? ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/10 "2014-06-19T21:17:10Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > These cites would suggest that it’s not true, despite their attempts to save it at the end: > > [The Decline of the American Book Lover - The Atlantic](http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/283222/) > > [http://www.refinery29.com/2014/01/61190/fewer-americans-reading-books](http://www.refinery29.com/2014/01/61190/fewer-americans-reading-books) If we count “constant texting” as reading, however, the kids are reading more than ever. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/11 "2014-06-19T21:31:50Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > These cites would suggest that it’s not true, despite their attempts to save it at the end: > > [The Decline of the American Book Lover - The Atlantic](http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/the-decline-of-the-american-book-lover/283222/) > > [http://www.refinery29.com/2014/01/61190/fewer-americans-reading-books](http://www.refinery29.com/2014/01/61190/fewer-americans-reading-books) Both of those studies focus solely on books. They discount Internet reading and magazines/newspapers. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/12 "2014-06-19T21:41:02Z")
I wonder who’s buying from that extensive magazine rack and Barnes and Nobles. There are a ton of magazines, and a lot of them seem like they are for very niche audiences. I can’t believe they are moving a big percentage of the magazines on that rack. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/13 "2014-06-19T22:37:18Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Both of those studies focus solely on books. They discount Internet reading and magazines/newspapers. That’s because paper is magic and looking at written matter _not_ written on paper is Just Different in some unquantifiable way related to the person complaining about it being middle-aged or older. In short, literacy was killed off when the last rubricator put down his tools and yielded the floor to Gutenberg’s … _things_. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/14 "2014-06-19T22:48:49Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I wonder who’s buying from that extensive magazine rack and Barnes and Nobles. There are a ton of magazines, and a lot of them seem like they are for very niche audiences. I can’t believe they are moving a big percentage of the magazines on that rack. This. The only place I still see large racks of magazines is at the airport, and most of them are aimed at (what I consider) small groups of people. General Interest magazines have gone the way of the variety show. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/15 "2014-06-20T00:37:11Z")
Sometimes I look at the magazine racks in the supermarket and they are nearly all either People type or weight loss. If this is literacy, count me out. I do much of my reading on e-books. Although I do subscribe to several magazines too. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/16 "2014-06-20T01:24:37Z")
Just people being on the internet (like here) I wouldn’t call reading, but most special interest mags now offer a digital version; in the last year I’ve migrated all my periodicals to the iPad. They tend to be cheaper (especially my UK mags like **Evo** and **Octane** ), don’t take up shelf space, and often include bells and whistles print can’t match ( **Evo’s** really clever about this). So people could be reading periodicals as much without print. However, given print media’s obsession with circulation numbers, they have to know how many readers are doing this. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/17 "2014-06-20T02:46:57Z")
This is not a scholarly study itself, but tends to support **Justin Bailey** ’s contention: > **[The State of Publishing: Young People Are Reading More Than You](https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/young-people-are-reading-more-than-you)** > > ‘19 years later,’ as the last chapter-heading has it, and quite probably for many decades after that, there will still be millions of adults who re... “Book sales are up, way up, from twenty years ago. Young adult readership is far wider and deeper than ever before. Library membership and circulation is at all-time high.” ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/18 "2014-06-20T16:02:03Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Just people being on the internet (like here) I wouldn’t call reading So… what’s the cutoff for you? Individual pieces longer than 500 words? Longer than 1000 words? Pieces written in a specific linguistic register, or on specific topics? Or is the epistolary form itself “not reading” as far as you’re concerned? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/19 "2014-06-20T16:06:40Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Both of those studies focus solely on books. They discount Internet reading and magazines/newspapers. …and thereby you at least half make my point. If people are getting things from the internet, they don’t need the newsstand. The fact that the newsstand is failed, though, strongly suggests that they aren’t reading magazines anymore (As doers the precipitous decline in magazines. There are websites devoted to magazine deathewatches). Whether people are taking up the slack by reading a lot more on the internet to make up for not reading books or hard copy magazines (The cites I give show that they aren’t taking up all the slack reading e-books) is irrelevant to my point in this thread. But I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153/20 "2014-06-20T18:09:32Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > So… what’s the cutoff for you? Individual pieces longer than 500 words? Longer than 1000 words? Pieces written in a specific linguistic register, or on specific topics? Or is the epistolary form itself “not reading” as far as you’re concerned? I’d put the line at works written for pay. That covers the New York Times web site, Evo magazine’s digital edition, and leaves room for special interest sites like Gizmodo and Jalopnik that are sort of semi-pro, but cuts off tweets, internet postings, fanfic and such [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-magazines-have-disappeared-from-the-newsstand/691153.md?page=2)